When someone suggested installing Moodle on Microsoft SQL, I squirmed in my seat. The audience around me grew quiet. Microsoft SQL? Was the person crazy? Who would want to use MS-SQL when MySQL was the much better, free open source solution?
So, I was again surprised when I read Ben Wilkoff’s post on running Moodle on Oracle. While I have to ask WHY? there must be someone out there who needs to be able to do it. Better to ensure that Ben’s video and instructions–in a GoogleDoc–reach as wide an audience as possible!
The specific system in question is using an Oracle database to work with Moodle. While it has been done before, some of the instructions didn’t ring true for me. I also wanted to be able to provide a step-by-step account of how I have done it and how it can be done.
So, without further ado, here is the Google Doc that gives the step by step account of just how to do it.
And, just to prove that it can be done in 25 minutes or less, I have included a screencast of the entire process that I used to revise the Google Doc and make sure everything works.
I hope it can be of use to you and yours.
Kudos to Ben for sharing!
Subscribe to Around the Corner-MGuhlin.org
Be sure to visit the ShareMore! Wiki.
Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure
Discover more from Another Think Coming
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Another Think Coming 
Yes. Mysql beats up on pretty much anything else that it goes against. However, if every other system in your district runs on Oracle and your Database Administrators in the IT department only work with Oracle and the entire structure of support is built on using Oracle, then my one vote for Mysql doesn’t count for much.So, I had to figure out how to do it that way, and in the end, it looks pretty much the same (athough there isn’t a database export from within moodle as far as I can tell). Thanks for passing along the info. I too want to make sure that anyone else who has the same sets of restrictions in their district can say that Moodle will still work. I don’t want people to have to go with something that is less robust just because of this one hurdle.
Yes. Mysql beats up on pretty much anything else that it goes against. However, if every other system in your district runs on Oracle and your Database Administrators in the IT department only work with Oracle and the entire structure of support is built on using Oracle, then my one vote for Mysql doesn’t count for much.So, I had to figure out how to do it that way, and in the end, it looks pretty much the same (athough there isn’t a database export from within moodle as far as I can tell). Thanks for passing along the info. I too want to make sure that anyone else who has the same sets of restrictions in their district can say that Moodle will still work. I don’t want people to have to go with something that is less robust just because of this one hurdle.
It might work OK for an out-of-the-box Moodle install but start adding 3rd-party plugins and you're in for a heap of trouble. I know from experience.My advice – use MySQL.Of course in Moodle 2 the improved database abstraction layer should improve the situation.
It might work OK for an out-of-the-box Moodle install but start adding 3rd-party plugins and you're in for a heap of trouble. I know from experience.My advice – use MySQL.Of course in Moodle 2 the improved database abstraction layer should improve the situation.
I agree with Moodle Consultant … we are a year into using Moodle at a large UK university and the time we have spent getting 3rd party plugins to work with Oracle has been crazy. We are now looking at upgrading to Moodle2 with MySQL.
I agree with Moodle Consultant … we are a year into using Moodle at a large UK university and the time we have spent getting 3rd party plugins to work with Oracle has been crazy. We are now looking at upgrading to Moodle2 with MySQL.